The initial conceptualization of restorative justice began in the late 1970s, largely in North America. The oldest
practice of restorative justice, victim-offender mediation, had its roots in the Kitchener-Waterloo area during this time.

By 1990 a NATO-supported conference was held to examine growing interest in restorative justice.

In 1996 New Zealand adopted legislation mandating the use of restorative practices in young offender cases.

Many jurisdictions, including Canada, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and European countries
have adopted restorative justice programs.

The United Nations Working Group on Restorative Justice is currently examining restorative processes,
and is preparing a draft resolution for presentation at some point in the year 2000.

A face-to-face meeting may not be appropriate for all situations. Here are some reasons why:

A face-to-face meeting cannot investigate or establish the facts around the incident; that is the role of the police and the courts.

A face-to-face meeting is not intended to condemn or humiliate those who have offended others; expression of disapproval focuses on harmful
actions rather than condemning the individual person.

A face-to-face meeting focuses on learning who has been harmed, what is the impact of the incident on those harmed, and how can the harm be
repaired. It is a problem-solving approach that cannot put anyone at risk of experiencing further harm.

If a face-to-face meeting is not appropriate or desired, Facilitators can work with all parties to communicate indirectly through
the exchange of letters.

This indirect communication is meant to increase understanding and help all parties work towards a resolution that is agreeable to everyone.

If this is not possible, the case will be referred back to the police or other referring agency to be processed by them.

Yes.We accept cases where the accused has had previous contact with the criminal justice system.
Often a new approach to dealing with conflict can be the turning point for someone where the court
system is not providing a deterrent effect.

Yes to both. A restorative approach that holds preparation of participants and safety
in the highest regard can be a meaningful and potentially healing experience for those involved
in a physical altercation.

It is not uncommon in these situations for both parties involved to feel as though they have been victimized.

The opportunity to talk about what happened in a safe environment without the threat of violence could minimize
the chance of further conflict.

Further, a mechanism by which to resolve conflict peacefully can be a powerful experience for those who normally
react to conflict with violence.

Often in cases of severe violence, it does not make sense for victims to meet the person by whom they have been
victimized for some time, or possibly not ever.

For these instances, we would maintain a restorative approach which would not necessarily result in a
face-to-face encounter.

Participation in the program is completely voluntary for all participants.

One of the primary goals of the program is to increase victim satisfaction
in the system by giving them an active role in the justice process. Every effort will
therefore be made to provide the victim with the information, preparation and support
they need in order to participate in a restorative justice process.

It is recognized, however, that some victims may not want to
participate in a restorative justice process. In such cases a restorative justice
process could still be held, however, with others participating in the
victim's place. For example, secondary victims, such as a family member, or a
member of the community in which the harm took place, could participate to talk
about the impact the crime has had on them.

The term community, as used in restorative justice, does not specifically refer to
any particular physical or geographical entity.

For the purposes of a restorative justice process, community is defined as the
"community of the incident": family members, key support people, and significant others
for each party who have been impacted by the offence.

The community members in a restorative justice process will therefore be specific to
that particular case

Restorative justice focuses on identifying causes which may have led to the commission of the offence.

Identifying key support people during the restorative justice process will assist the offender in
addressing some of the personal issues which led to the offence. Community members are also given insight
into the conditions in their community which may have caused the offence, and are given an opportunity to
take action to remedy those conditions.

The Alternative Measures agencies which will be facilitating the restorative justice process will also
be able to refer the offender and victim to appropriate community resources to deal with identified issues.

Although it will not happen overnight, restorative justice provides an opportunity for the justice system to
start working more collaboratively with other service providers, such as schools, heath organizations, child
protection agencies, and other social service agencies in an effort to address the underlying causes of the crime.